Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake

Everyone’s beloved chicken Parmesan in the form of an easy baked pasta with tender meatballs, melty mozzarella, simple homemade tomato sauce, and a crisp breadcrumb topping. This is family-friendly cooking in the best way.

Comfort Food, Elevated

Let’s all celebrate this mash-up of two crowd-pleasing family favorites: baked pasta casserole and breaded chicken Parmesan. An accessible twist on the popular Italian-American classic, serving up chicken Parmesan in meatball form is sure to elicit smiles, appreciation, and maybe even a request for seconds from your hungry crew.

The draw of a chicken Parmesan pasta bake is easy to see. Everyone loves tender, well-flavored meatballs, especially when nestled in al dente pasta, flavorful tomato sauce, and generous pockets of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

This is also fairly easy on the cook. You’ll need a separate pot to cook the pasta, but otherwise you can brown the meatballs, make the sauce, and bake the casserole all in one large skillet. What’s more, you’ll have some downtime while it bakes to cheesy pasta perfection, so the dish washer can get a head start, too — or just relax!

Ingredients & Common Substitutions

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

• Ground Chicken: You can also use ground turkey with no other changes.
• Dried Pasta: Rotini, penne, farfalle, or ziti all work well. It’s best to use something with a medium length and some ridges so it will hold the sauce and the cheese.
• Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese: Obviously very necessary and desirable.
• Canned Crushed Tomatoes: The quickest base for a delicious homemade tomato sauce. Use the highest quality you can–we love Muir Glen when possible–and grab a can of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes if you see them for extra flavor.
• Yellow Onion: For aromatic flavor and texture in the sauce.
• Egg: For binding the meatball mixture together.
• Breadcrumbs: For both the meatballs and to sprinkle on top. You can use regular or Panko breadcrumbs here. I have tried both and both are deliciously crispy with the broiler effect.
• Garlic Powder and Italian Seasoning: Major flavor with minimal extra effort.
• Staples: Olive oil, butter, kosher salt, and black pepper.

How To Make a Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake

This recipe takes about an hour total, but don’t be intimidated. Much of that is hands-off time, each step is simple, and the end result is beyond worth it.

1. Boil a large pot of water, add a generous pinch of salt, and cook pasta just for about half of the recommended package cooking time. It will continue to cook as the pasta bakes, so you want it to still have a good amount of bite.
2. Make the meatballs and brown them lightly on all sides. They do not need to be fully cooked through at this stage. Use the biggest oven-safe skillet you have for this step, so that you can avoid using a separate pan. This is about the time you’ll want to preheat the oven, as well, to 350 degrees F.
3. After removing the browned meatballs to a clean plate, use the same skillet to make the tomato sauce. This ensures all the flavor of those meatballs makes its way directly into your sauce!
4. Mix everything together. Pour the drained pasta into the sauce, then mix in about half of the cheese. Nestle the browned meatballs into this mixture, then sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling, the cheese fully melted, and the meatballs reach 165 degrees F inside on an instant-read thermometer. You can top with a few breadcrumbs and broil for the last couple minutes of baking time, if desired. This does a bang up job of replicating that crunchy chicken Parmesan coating everyone adores!

A simple garnish of fresh basil or fresh parsley makes it even more appealing to the eyes. And extra Parmesan or red pepper flakes to pass at the table is always a great idea.

Shortcut: Use a jar of your favorite vodka or marinara sauce to make this even more weeknight-friendly.

What pairs well with chicken Parmesan?

Of course a traditional combination is chicken Parmesan and a side of pasta, but in the case of this recipe you have that covered already! So your sides can stay simple and focused on adding some vegetables. We love:

• Roasted broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or green beans
• Caesar, Italian, or spinach salad
• Garlic bread, garlic knots, or breadsticks

Variations

• Make it creamy by stirring 1/3 cup heavy cream, light cream, or half and half into the tomato sauce after it simmers but 1 minute prior to adding the pasta.
• Add greens by wilting 2 handfuls of baby spinach, Tuscan kale, or shredded Swiss chard into the tomato sauce just prior to adding the pasta.
• Make it gluten-free by omitting the breadcrumbs on top and substituting 1/3 cup of almond meal in the meatballs. You will need less because almond meal tends to absorb more liquid, ounce per ounce.

Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions

Follow these guidelines and you’ll have a terrific make-ahead meal out of this, which is something you can’t usually say about chicken Parmesan!

• Making ahead: This casserole can be fully prepared up to 2 days in advance. Assemble it completely, including the final sprinkle of mozzarella on top. Cover tightly with foil, then store in the fridge until ready to bake.
• When baking from the refrigerator, plan to add 5-10 minutes to the baking time.
• Freezing: Like many baked pastas, this can also be assembled and then frozen for up to 3 months. In this case I would obviously recommend putting it together in a disposable baking pan or a casserole dish you can go without for awhile. Again, assemble it fully, cover the pan very tightly and wrap in an extra layer of plastic wrap or a freezer-safe bag if possible. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before baking, or bake straight from frozen.
• If baking straight from frozen, try to let the frozen baking dish rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes prior to baking, and plan to add 20-30 minutes to the baking time. Take care, as Pyrex and some ceramic casserole dishes are vulnerable to cracking or even exploding when they encounter sudden and huge swings in temperature. The resting time lessens the chances of this.

Storage & Reheating

This chicken Parmesan casserole is especially great to reheat and enjoy for lunch the next day. The meatballs remain very tender and you won’t contend with a soggy coating as you might in the case of the traditional breaded chicken dish.

• Storage: Leftovers keep very well for 3-4 days. Store in any airtight container in the refrigerator. (These are our favorite meal prep boxes!)
• Reheating: Warm in the microwave or over medium-low heat in a small saucepan. Add a splash of broth or water to help loosen the sauce and minimize sticking, only if needed.

I haven’t personally tried freezing this one, because the leftovers have never lasted that long. 🙂 I suspect it would work OK.

More Easy Baked Pasta Recipes

Any form of baked pasta is a guaranteed way to satisfy a hungry crowd! Next up, try our favorite baked ravioli with spinach, baked tortellini with meat sauce, baked ziti with sausage, a classic make-ahead friendly macaroni and cheese, or this delicious ground turkey baked pasta.

If you try this Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I love hearing how recipes turn out in your kitchen, and it helps other readers, too.

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5 from 1 vote

Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr

Servings: 6 servings

Everyone’s beloved chicken Parmesan in the form of an easy baked pasta with tender meatballs, loads of melty mozzarella, an easy homemade sauce, and a crisp breadcrumb topping. This is family-friendly cooking in the best way.

Ingredients

• 10 ounces dried pasta
• 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
• 1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs plus 1-2 Tablespoons for sprinkling
• 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup grated Parmesan divided
• 1 egg
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning divided
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• kosher salt and black pepper
• olive oil
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• pinch red pepper flakes optional
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1/2 medium yellow onion chopped
• 1 and 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

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Instructions

• Boil a large pot of water. Add a generous pinch of salt, then add pasta and cook for 5 minutes, or about half of the time recommended on the package directions. It should still be very firm; it will continue softening in the oven. Drain and set aside.
• To make the meatballs, combine the ground chicken, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup Parmesan, egg, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl. Stir with a fork until evenly combined, then portion and roll into into small meatballs, about 1” diameter each.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Warm a generous slick of olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Brown meatballs lightly on all sides, working in two batches, then remove them to a clean plate.
• Melt butter in the same skillet you used for the meatballs, then add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, until beginning to soften. Add crushed tomatoes, remaining 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes, if using. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the drained pasta to the sauce and stir well. Mix in about half of the mozzarella and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Spread into an even layer, then nestle the meatballs in among the pasta. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the meatballs reach 165 degrees F inside. Top with additional breadcrumbs, if desired, and broil for 1-2 minutes, just until browned. Remove, garnish as desired with fresh parsley or basil, and serve.

Notes

• If you don’t have a large enough oven-safe skillet, just use the skillet to make the components one at a time (brown the meatballs, then make the sauce) and transfer everything into a 9″x13″ casserole dish.
• Make it creamy by stirring 1/3 cup heavy cream, light cream, or half and half into the tomato sauce after it simmers but 1 minute prior to adding the pasta.
• Add greens by wilting 2 handfuls of baby spinach, Tuscan kale, or shredded Swiss chard into the tomato sauce just prior to adding the pasta.
• Make it gluten-free by omitting the breadcrumbs on top and substituting 1/3 cup of almond meal in the meatballs. You will need less because almond meal tends to absorb more liquid, ounce per ounce.
• Recipe inspired by a very old favorite of mine in a Rachael Ray magazine for chicken Parmesan meatballs stuffed with mozzarella (formerly but no longer available online); adapted to be served with pasta and in a simple homemade tomato sauce.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 509 kcal, Carbohydrates: 54 g, Protein: 32 g, Fat: 19 g, Saturated Fat: 8 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6 g, Trans Fat: 0.1 g, Cholesterol: 123 mg, Sodium: 647 mg, Potassium: 970 mg, Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 8 g, Vitamin A: 643 IU, Vitamin C: 13 mg, Calcium: 300 mg, Iron: 4 mg

Did you make this recipe?Leave a review below, then snap a quick picture and tag @nourishandfete on Instagram so I can see it!

Author: Monica Lensink

Course: Dinner, Mains

Cuisine: American, American-Italian, Italian

Keyword: chicken parmesan pasta bake

This post was originally published on April 24, 2017. It has been comprehensively updated with a simpler recipe, new photos, more helpful text and tips for success.